Cancer fears over folate in bread

The West Australian

Wednesday, 15 July 2009 10:39PM

Doubts have been raised over moves to fortify bread with folate amid fears it could increase the risk of cancer.

New Zealand Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson said she would approach Food Standards Australia New Zealand to try to secure a review of the program after raising concerns about the increased risk of prostate and other cancers.

From September, a joint New Zealand-Australia food standard means bread manufacturers have to add folic acid to all wheat flour for bread- making within two years.

Child health experts have long argued that having folic acid in bread helps ensure that women becoming pregnant consume enough to prevent their babies being born with devastating neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Compulsory fortification is in place in the US and Canada.

The new conservative National government in New Zealand has come under pressure from academics and commentators after research suggested folic acid could be an aggravating factor in some cancers.

Ms Wilkinson said while the science around the cancer risk was not robust, she shared concerns about the possible cumulative effect over years.

The campaign for mandatory fortification has been backed by WA health experts, including Professor Fiona Stanley, whose ground-breaking research on birth defects provided strong evidence for FSANZ to introduce the mandatory fortification.

The program was opposed by sections of the food industry.

Professor Stanley said yesterday it was unbelievable that doubts had been raised after years of extensive research and review into the fortification of flour with folate. The relatively low level of folate that would be added to flour carried little risk, she said, and accused New Zealand businesses of being behind the misinformation.

"You need to put the needs of children and families ahead of big business," Professor Stanley said. She said adding folate to flour would prevent about 60 birth defects a year, with research showing adding the vitamin to bread products boosted folate levels in at-risk pregnant women.

FSANZ spokeswoman Lydia Buchtmann said there was no increased risk of cancer from the folate levels proposed to be added.

She said evidence from US cancer registries over the past 10 years showed there was no increased risk of cancer from mandatory fortification.